Mail-box attachment.



PatentedNov, i2, I901.

J. L. PLANK,

MAIL BOX ATTACHMENT.

(Application filed Apr. 8, 1901.\

2 Sheets$heet (NO Model.)

Wiigz'sses Patented Nov. l2, l90l. J. L. PLANK. MAIL. BUX ATTACHMENT.

(Application filed Apr. S 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

mQF-k NW S llllll l ll MQNQ O l l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. PLANK, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

MAIL-BOX ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 686,328, dated November12, 1901.

' Application filed April 8, 190 1.-

To all whom it may concern:

Beit knowirthat 1, JOHN L. PLANK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rochester, in thecounty of Monroe and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Mail- Box Attachment, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to mail-boxesand collecting-pouches; and it hasfor its object to provide a construction wherein the box will have adoor provided with a lock, and the collection-pouch will have also adoor provided with a lock, and in which the lock of the box can beoperated to unlock the box only when the pouch is in place thereagainst,andwherein, furthermore, when the box is unlocked the pouch is lockedfast to the box, so that the collector is not permitted to haudle themail-matter. l

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction whereinafter the pouch has been once unlocked and then looked while upon thebox its lock cannot be operated to again unlock the mail-box until afterit has been first unlocked with a difierent key, aeting upon a separateset of tumblers.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views,Figure 1 is a perspective View shwing a mail-box with the pouchattached, a portion of the pouch being broken away to illustrate thedoors of the box and pouch in open positions. Fig. 2 is a sectional viewshowing portions of the lower part of the mail-box and the adjacent partof the attached pouch with the locks thereof in engaged positions andthe doors raised. Fig.3 is a transverse vertical section through themutually adjacent portions of the box and pouch. Fig. 4 is aplan View ofthe engaged looks with the tops of the casings thereof removed, theparts being in position to lock the pouch to the box and unlock thedoors of the box and pouch to permit of discharge of mail from theformer to the latter, as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view similar toFig. 4 and showing the positions of the parts of the looks when thelocks are first connected and previous to the unlocking of the box andpouch, which operation locks the pouch to the box. Fig. 6 is anelevation showing the Serial No. 54,905. (No model.)

shit'table belt which is located in the lock carried by the pouch. Fig.7 is an elevation showing the shiftable locking-bolt of the lock carriedby the box. Fig. 8 is a detail elevation showing the shiftable keeper ofthe lock, carried by the look upon the pouch. Fig. 9 is a detailperspective view showing the locking-eylinder that engages and slidesthe bolt of the lock on the box. Fig. 10 is a detail perspective viewshowing the locking-cylinder of thelock upon the pouch.

' Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a mail-box 10, having adoor ll at its bottom and which door has an angular trunnion 12projecting through an end of the box for engagement of a key or handleto raise and lower the door, and when the'door is in raised position itis held by a look. This lock consists of a casing 13, in which isdisposed a slidable bolt 14, provided with a pin 15, which projects intothe box and against the upper side of which the door lies when the pinis in locked position. When the bolt is shifted to unlocked position,the pin is under a slot 16 in the door, and thus permits the door toswing downwardly into open position. To hold the bolt 14 in lockedposition, tumblers 17- are provided and have slots 18 therein, which arebroadened at their inner ends to form nibs 19, and which slot liesnormally out of alinement with a stud 20 upon the bolt. When thetumblers are raised by a key, as hereinafter described, the slotsthereof are brought into alinement with the stud, and if the stud lieoutside of the slots, as shown in Fig. 4, the bolt may be then moved tocarry the stud into the slots, which is the locked position ofthe bolt,the springs 21 of the tumblers being disposed to move the latter whenthe key is withdrawn from engagement with the tumblers to bring thenibsof the tumblers behind the stud of the bolt, and thus prevent outwardmovement of the stud from the slots to carry the pin 15 to its unlockedposition. position, the stud thereof lies against the ends of thetumblers, above the slots thereof, and the ends of the tumblers, as alsothe adjacent end of the stud, are serrated so as to prevent accidentaldisplacement of the tumblers.

The collecting-pouch 22 has a rigid frame When the bolt is in theunlocked.

23 at its mouth, and in this frame operates a hinged door 24, which isto be held in closed position by a pin 25, carried by a bolt 26,disposed slidably in a casing 27 upon the frame of the pouch, this pinbeing adapted for movement into and out of alinement with a slot 28 inthe door of the pouch to permit or prevent inward movement of the doorto open position.

The pins or engaging portions 29 of the tumblers 17 project from thecasing 13 and lie in a recess 30 in the casing, and the casing 13 has nomeans whatever for receiving a key in operative relation to these pins,the keycylinder 31 therefor being carried in a projecting portion 32 ofthe lock-casing 27 and which is adapted to fit into the recess 30 whenthe pouch is moved to rest with its frame against the lower end of themail-box to receive the mail therefrom.

The upperlock'is normally in closed or looking position, as shown inFig. 5, and when the pouch is moved into place, as shown also in saidfigure, a finger 33, carried by the bolt 14 and projecting from casing13, enters casing 27 through an opening 34 therein, and when the bolt 14is moved to position to carry its pin 15 into position to unlock the boxthis finger engages the inner face of the upper side of casing 27 andholds the pouch in place against the mail-box. To thus move the bolt 14,the second bolt 26 has a recess 35 in its upper edge, which receives thefinger 33, and said bolt 26 has a second recess 36 in its upper edge,which receives the wing 37 of the cylinder 31, so that when saidcylinder is retated in one direction the bolt 26 is moved to carry thefinger 33 into position to hold the lock-casings together, and when thecylinder is rotated in an opposite direction the finger 33 is carried toits releasing position. As the finger 33 is moved the bolt 14 is alsomoved and therewith the pin 15, the locking position of finger 33 beingthe unlocking position of the pin, and vice versa. Also as the bolt 26is moved its pin 25 also moves, the two pins being moved simultaneouslyinto locking and unlocking position. Thus when the doors of the box andpouch are unlocked the pouch is locked to the box, and when' the pinsare moved to lock the doors the pouch is unlocked from the box. In thisconnection also, some means must be provided for preventing the pouch tobe applied to unlock the pouch and box, then the pouch to be unlockedfrom the box without looking the doors of the pouch and box, and then,after the mail has been removed from the pouch, to apply the pouch tothe box, swing the doors into closed positions, and then look them. Toprevent this operation, the bolt 26 is provided with a set of tumblersto be operated and connected mechanism for moving the bolt with aseparate key from that used in the cylinder 31, and the mechanism issuch that after the bolt 26 is moved to unlock the box and pouch andthen moved to lock them and release the pouch from the box it cannot beagain operated from the key in cylinder 31 until after the bolt 26 hasbeen operated with its separate key.

The tumblers for the bolt 26 are shown at 40, and adjacent thereto isthe key-cylinder 41, these tumblers having slots 42 therein, which whenthe tumblers are raised by engagement of a key therewith aline with astud 43 on a slide 44 and permit this slide to be moved rearwardly byengagement of the wing 45 of the cylinder 41 in a recess 46 in theslide, and when the bolt 26 is in position to lock the pouch this slideis in retracted position, as shown in Fig. 5, and theupwardly-projecting portion 47 thereof lies in the path of movement ofthe bolt 26, so that the latter cannot be moved to unlock the pouchwithout shifting the slide 44, as shown in Fig. 4. The bolt 26 has ashoulder 48 on its under side, adapted for engagement by the end-of apivoted finger 49, having a spring 50, which holds it yieldably in itsengaging position, and when the slide 44 is in the position shown inFig. 5 this finger is held rocked, with its engaging end out of the pathof movement of this shoulder by engagement of a cam 51 on slide 44 withthe opposite end of the finger. When the bolt 26 is moved to unlock thepouch and box, the shoulder is taken inwardly of the free end of thefinger, so that said finger lies against the lower edge of the slide andthe slide may freely move, and at the same time the cam 51 is carriedfrom beneath the opposite end of the finger, so that the spring 50 maymove the free end of the finger upwardly and close against the slide.When, however, the bolt 26 is returned to position to release the pouchfrom the box, the shoulder 48 is taken'beyond the end of the finger,which latter snaps up and lies behind the shoulder and prevents movementof the bolt 26 to unlock the pouch and box or lock the pouch to the box.The only manner in which the finger 49 can be moved from engagement withthe shoulder is to return the slide 44 to engage the cam 51 under thebutt-end of the finger, and this can be done only by manipulation of thecylinder 41 with its special key, which is kept at the post-office, thecollector being furnished only with a key to the cylinder 81. It will bethus seen that in order to have access to the pouch the collector mustleave the mail-box and the pouch open, and will thus show that he hashad access to the box and pouch, it being understood that when the pouchis given to the collector it is locked, and when itis returned it mustalso be locked.

To assist in holding the pouch to the box, handles 55 are provided,which are adapted for engagement over pins 56 on the box.

What is claimed is- 1. The combination with a locking mechanismincludingabolt and tumblers, ofa second locking mechanism including abolt and a key receiving cylinder disposed and constructed for operatingthe second bolt and holding a key in position for operating thetumblers, and means carried by one bolt for actuating the other boltwhen the mechanisms are in juxtaposition.

2. The combination with a box having a locking mechanism including abolt and tumblers for locking and unlocking the box, of a pouch having abolt and a key-receiving cylinder, said cylinder being disposed foroperating the tumblers of the first lock and the bolt of the secondlook.

3. The combination with a locking mechanism including a bolt andtumblers, of a second locking mechanism including a bolt and akey-receiving cylinder disposed and constructed for operating the secondbolt and holding a key in position for operating the tumblers, and meanscarried by the first bolt for engagement with the second boltforactuating the first bolt. I

4. The combination With a locking mechanism including a bolt andtumblers, of a second locking mechanism including a bolt and akey-receiving device disposed to operate the second bolt and to hold thekey in position to operate the tumblers, and a lockingfinger carried bythe first bolt for locking the mechanisms together, said finger beingadapted for engagement with the second bolt for movement thereby intoand out of operative position.

5. The combination with a lock mechanism including a bolt and tumblers,of a second look mechanism including a bolt and a keyreceiving devicedisposed to operate the second bolt and to hold a key in position foroperating the tumblers, and a locking-finger carried by the first boltfor locking the mechanisms together, said finger being adapted forengagement with the second bolt for movement thereby for movement ofitself and its connected bolt into and out of locking position.

6. The combination with a box having a lock, of a second look carried bya pouch and including an element essential to the look upon the box anda locking-bolt, means for holding said essential element againstoperation to operate the first lock, and means operable by actuation ofthe second lock mechanism 8. The combination with mail-box having a doorof a lock therefor including a bolt and tumblers for holding the bolt inlocked and unlocked positions, a second lock carried by acollecting-pouch and including a lockingbolt, a key-receiving cylinderdisposed for operation of the second bolt and to hold a key in operativerelation to the tumblers, means for limiting the movement of the secondbolt to one cycle under the influence of said cylinder, and akey-operated device for releasing said limiting means to permit of asecond cycle of operation of the cylinder.

9. The combination with a mail-box having a door provided with a lockincluding a bolt and tumblers for holding the bolt in oppositepositions, a collecting-pouch having a lock including a bolt, akey-receiving cylinder disposed to operate the second bolt and hold' akey in operative relation to the tumblers, the first bolt having alocking-finger for engagement With the second look to hold the locks inclose relation, and the second bolt being adapted for engagement by thefinger to actuate it and its bolt, a retaining-finger disposed to holdthe second bolt in locked position, and a separate key-operated devicedisposed to move the finger from operative position and being operableby unlocking movement of the second bolt to release the finger.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN L. PLANK. Witnesses:

CHARLES STANTON, S. P. HALDERMAN.

